Reform Rabbi Co-Officiates at Clinton Wedding on Shabbos

JTA reports: Chelsea Clinton was married under a chuppah in a ceremony co-officiated by a rabbi. Rabbi James Ponet, head of the Joseph Slifka Center for Jewish Life at Yale, was joined by Rev. William Shillady, a Methodist minister. Clinton and the groom, Marc Mezvinsky (seen in photo), reportedly were married under a chuppah, in a ceremony that featured friends and family reciting the seven traditional blessings and a ketubah, the traditional Jewish wedding contract. The event took place Saturday night before the end of the Jewish sabbath.

Mezvinsky, who is Jewish, wore a yarmulke and prayer shawl.

Ponet, a Reform rabbi, has been the Jewish chaplain at Yale since 1981. He currently teaches a college seminar with Dr. Ruth Westheimer on “The Family in the Jewish Tradition,” according to the bio on the Slifka Center website. He and his wife, Elana, also “lead a weekly discussion in Slifka Dining Room on the value of peace in Jewish life and thought.”

So so sad. This is a reflection of the Refornm and Conservative “Jews”. This guy wore a Tallis and probably means well. He just cut off his lineage from Judiasm and smiled in a Tallis under a Chuppah on Shabbos! Nebach! Such a sad story!

I was actually impressed…
1. The Shaitel was incredible… Almost looked human
2. I heard all the wine was mivushal
3. The yarmulka was not one of these throw away paper ones but real leather.
4. It was made a no fly zone so the chuppah could truly be under the stars
5. Both sides had Yichus
6. There were plenty of Shabbos Goyim around including the Kallah herself.
7. I just have one question…Who did they use to print the Bentchers?

Oy Vay! A Ham & Cheese Chuppah! But seriously a reform rabbi & a priest…who are you trying to fool? (Yourselves, perhaps???) Is it possible to be so deluded to think this a good thing?? And how is Hillary planning to live this down w/ all her Palestinian/Islamic/Antisemitic friends? Sell out more of Israel (as if that was possible for her?)And what is with the groom? Aren’t there enough pretty, intelligent, Jewish girls to choose from? This is bad on so many levels that just thinking about it makes me sick. Oy Vay to us for certain. May Hashem enlighten us to figure out how to make proper Tefilah & Kiruv so this does not continue to happen.

The fact is that on some level it is a kiddush hashem, although unintentional. The perception is that Jewish husbands are less likely to be abusive, unfaithful, and unmotivated, and more likely to be bright, kind and successful. This can be traced back to Avraham Avinu, and even nonreligous Jews have it in their genes from way back.

The fact that 75 years ago we were looked upon as dirty Jews, but now even the highest echelons in society are happy to make a shidduch with us is in fact something to be proud of. It would have been better if Chelsea had converted, since Judaism is the root of this kindness she so admires. But maybe she will in the future.

The choson is obviously a tinok shnishba, and his parents are on the extreme left, so he clearly doesn’t know any better.

You know what kinda got me is why did he choose a kippah that is associated with Torah Jewry? Why didn’t he choose a kippah that a Reform Jew would wear? If you looked at the picture you would think that Chelsea married a Torah Yid on Shabbos. I was hoping that he would not let anyone know that he was Jewish to mimimize the Chilul H’. fat chance,huh.

This is a very sad story for judaism because intermarriage, one of the chief destroyers of the jewish nation, has been put in the limelight of society, and its acceptance is a true heartbreak. That being said, it is not exactly kind to make nasty comments such as the ones seen here. Please remember that when you are posting a comment, you are not texting chitchat and banter to your friends. It is posted for the entire world and it is displayed when people search on popular and current events. Kind of gives you an idea about the ‘sefer hazichronos’ that we will all see, with every single word we said – posted.

My take on this whole issue:
In a few years there will either be a divorce,because they will fight over the Chanukah candles or the Xmas tree, or they will both become baalei Teshuva. Chelsea will have to be megayer kehalacha. Then, they will try to get their kids into Yeshiva!!. And guess who will come to the Chumash Seudah?? Grandp and Grandma Clinton (UGH!!) and Zaidy and Bubby Mesvinsky. And those kids!! How mixed up they will be!!. Heaven help them. That’s when the real stuff starts. Why does Grandpa drive a car on Shabbos? Isn’t he frum?? etc.etc. etc.
And then, before you know it: “Can this marriage be saved”?!!!!

Whatever the case is fact remains that every yidishi person should be crying today and no we dont need acceptance by the general population and this is anything but a kidush Hashem how insensitive of someone to say could someone imagine the tsar haschina and the suffering this grooms zaidad and bubis are going through in shumayim. And the fact that another yidishi soul has been lost to intermarriage, another yids kids wont be jewish this is all painfull, and so thats a generation gone forever, and who’s to blame not the tsad hachusin or the tsad hakala that dont know any better, rather the reform rabbi that knows the emes is responsible for throwing another jewish soul into the yam suf much like the mitzriyim in mitzrayim whom at paros decree threw every baby into the water.

The choson looks like any modern frum guy ,even bordering yeshivish,you have to give him credit ,for being proud of his Jewish heritage ,with wearing regular frum yarmulka throughout the wedding & the tallis ,he did not have to wear it if he was ashamed of being Jewish . As far as marrying a non Jewish girl of course unacceptable according to halacha,however try to understand the groom was not brought up frum therefore his limited knowledge of yiddishkeit is commendable ,the fact that ha even wore the yarmulka & tallis including saying some of the brachous.One day they could turn around & decide to become frum & even convert [Chelsea],she does seem like a very fine girl.

Jewish intermarriage threatens to decimate the Jewish people. If we do not make sure that our children are Jewish, then we might as well shoot ourselves in the head. The Jewish people cannot survive the threat posed by assimilation and reformed Judaism. We must be strong and abandon our evil ways. We must come back to our Father in heaven. We must do teshuva and respect Jewish law. Reformed Judaism is a complete abandonment of the Jewish religion, and we must condemn it in the strongest terms.
There is no excuse for marrying a goya, and the groom must be encouraged to leave her at once. By the way, reformed Judaism, assimilation, and intermarriage led to the Holocaust and the death of 6 million Jews.

#28….true what you said, but since when do you have such a personal relationship with Hashem that you know exactly why the holocaust happened?????? There are many reasons why Hashem could have been angry with us….why…you think the innoncent men, woman and children took the fall for those who prefered to go their own way???
I don’t think it is a wise idea for anyone to claim they know why the holocaust happened. We should all be busy working on ourselves to be better people and stop telling everyone why Hashem runs the world the way He does. What we need more of….for sure….is Ahavas Yisroel…maybe if we cared for our brethern, sincerely cared…we would not be in the pickle that we are!!!!!!!

How sad for all of you self-righteous people. Just reading what you have written here shows me the hate that you carry inside you for anyone who doesn’t think the same way you do. Shame on all of you. You lose credibility with the rest of the world when you express yourselves that way. And then you wonder why there is anti-semitism…. just look in the mirror.